‘Nashville’ to End After Season 6 on CMT

The CMT drama’s upcoming 16-episode sixth season will be its final run, the network announced Friday.

Season 6 will be split into two parts, with the first half premiering Jan. 4. The series finale for the project from producers Lionsgate and Opry Entertainment will air in the summer of 2018, although an exact air date has not yet been set.

The Callie Khouri-created show released a trailer today providing the first look at Season 6, which can be seen above. Among the returning cast members who appear in the promo are Hayden Panettiere (Juliette Barnes), Charles Esten (Deacon Claybourne), Clare Bowen (Scarlett O’Connor), Jonathan Jackson (Avery Barkley), Sam Palladio (Gunnar Scott), Chris Carmack (Will Lexington) and Kaitlin Doubleday (Jessie Caine).

ABC canceled “Nashville” in May 2016 after four seasons, and CMT picked it up the following month. Connie Britton returned for Season 5 as Rayna Jaymes, but the character was killed off in a car crash in the ninth episode of the season.

“All of us on ‘Nashville’ are so incredibly grateful to the show’s fans, who convinced CMT to give us a chance to keep telling the story of these remarkable characters,” said executive producer Marshall Herskovitz. “And we want to return the favor with a final season that celebrates all the joys and passions, twists and turns — and amazing music! — that made ‘Nashville’ such an exciting journey for the last six years.”

“After more than 120 episodes of unforgettable television, we believe that creatively it is time for the series to come to its triumphant close at the end of the upcoming season,” said Lionsgate Television Group chairman Kevin Beggs. “We’re very proud of our incredibly talented cast and crew, the creative brilliance of our showrunners, and the loyal support of our great partners at CMT, Hulu and ABC Studios.”

“Most importantly, we owe a special debt of thanks to the ‘Nashville’ fans who propelled the series to an incredible run,” Beggs continued. “We owe it to them to make the sixth season the most exciting and memorable of all.”